79. "YOU NEED HIS BLOOD..."

The silence between us becomes uncomfortable. I stare at him, seeking answers in his eyes, but all I see is an unfamiliar coldness.

"I see we have nothing more to talk about. I'm going to bed." I turn my body to move away from him, but he holds my wrist firmly.

"Not so fast, young lady," his voice is firm, but there's an underlying tension that doesn't go unnoticed by me.

I look at him, surprised by the intensity of his grip, but also by the determination in his eyes. What happened to the Alaric who begged for me to come back? Why does he now seem so distant and cold?

"What's going on, Alaric?" my voice comes out firmer than I expected, but confusion and frustration still echo in every word.

"Nothing, just do as I asked." He releases my wrist, stepping back from the table. His gesture is simple, but it leaves me shaken, a whirlwind of emotions stirring within me.

My heart beats erratically as I watch Alaric slowly retreat. A sense of emptiness settles around me, leaving me alone in the library, lost in my own thoughts.

What changed between us? Why is Alaric acting so distant and reserved? These questions echo in my mind as I turn, ready to leave the library.

But before I can take the first step, the door slams shut abruptly, making me jump in surprise. A sense of apprehension settles in my chest as a familiar voice emerges from the dark corner of the library.

"He asked you to stay away from me, but he didn't say anything about me staying away from you..."

Elijah's voice echoes through the library, sending a shiver down my spine. My eyes frantically search for the shadowy figure that emerged from the dark corner, revealing Elijah's familiar silhouette.

His eyes gleam with a sinister intensity as he approaches, each step echoing in the library's silence.

"You are as beautiful as your mother, dear." His voice, laden with unsettling malice, cuts through the library's silence as he draws nearer, his footsteps resounding in the space. Instinctively, I take a few steps back, feeling cornered by his intimidating presence.

"What are you doing here?" My voice trembles as I try to maintain my composure.

He walks with a malicious smile on his lips, toying with the ring on his finger.

"I'm here because something that belongs to me was taken from under my nose, for the second time." His voice sounds cold and threatening, echoing through the library as he stops in front of the window, gazing into the darkness of the sky. His eyes gleam with an intensity that seems to penetrate my soul, and a sense of fear spreads throughout my body.

"It was a night like this when your mother decided to flee from me. The necklace you're wearing has my blood along with the stone." His lips form the words with a resentful tone, recalling past events. Then, he turns to me, his eyes fixed with a cutting intensity. "Did you see anything else, Nyra? Any other vision you can tell me?"

I swallow dryly, feeling uncomfortable under Elijah's direct question. His penetrating gaze seems to probe my soul for answers that I myself don't fully understand.

"I... I'm not sure," I murmur, briefly averting my gaze. "The visions have been confusing, fragmented. I can't fully grasp what they mean." My words tremble, even though I didn't want to speak about what I saw, the words just came out.

"You saw her fleeing from me, leaving with her bodyguard. Just like you did with yours, didn't you, dear? You know what else you don't know?" He approaches, almost touching my face.

I feel a shiver run down my spine as his hand nears my face, his fingers touching my skin with a disturbing lightness. I swallow dryly, trying to maintain my unwavering expression in the face of his incisive words.

"I... I don't know what you're talking about," I reply, my voice faltering slightly as I try to gently push his hand away. "I don't know what else you mean." My mind is in turmoil, trying to process the information Elijah is insinuating, but everything seems confusing.

"I kept my distance for years, but I was always close by, knowing exactly every step she took while she was pregnant. She tried to hide from me the most precious thing a vampire could have."

With each word from Elijah, I feel my heart race, a mixture of fear and bewilderment taking hold of me. How can he know about my mother even when she managed to escape from him?

"I don't understand," I murmur, struggling to keep my voice steady. "Why are you telling me all this now? What do you want from me?" My questions come out in a whisper, barely audible amidst the tension that has settled between us.

"I'm just trying to understand how I could let you slip through my fingers again, and this time to my enemy." Elijah scans his eyes over my face, seeming confused.

Elijah's eyes gleam with a disturbing intensity as he stares at me, as if he's searching for something beyond the words escaping my lips. I feel completely exposed before him, a sense of vulnerability that makes me even more uncomfortable.

"If you knew how powerful you are, by the blood you carry..." Elijah hesitates for a moment, his eyes meeting mine. "Usually, you would need to be dead to become a vampire, just like with humans. But you're different, Nyra."

His words echo in the library, leaving me stunned and confused. What does he mean by that? What's different about me? Will he turn me, but how if I don't need to be dead? I look at him, bewildered.

"I... I'm not your enemy," I reply, my voice wavering. "I don't know what you want from me, but I have nothing to do with your conflicts with Alaric or anyone else." My words come out in a fragile whisper.

With a quick movement, Elijah steps away from me, heading towards the door and opening it suddenly. At the threshold, Zion's figure appears, his eyes fixed on me, widened at Elijah's words.

"Indeed, you're not my enemy," Elijah says, his sharp voice echoing in the library. "But you desire another, just as you also desire my enemy. When the only thing that should have happened was for you to use the power I tried so hard to give to someone. Have you ever wondered if the man you met was really your father?"

His words are like daggers, piercing my mind and leaving me bewildered with the avalanche of doubts they provoke. Is it possible? Could everything I believed about my origin be wrong?

Before I can fully process what Elijah insinuates, he disappears through the door, leaving me perplexed and confused. My mind is in turmoil when Zion rushes to me, his arms enveloping me before I can touch the ground. Darkness takes over my vision as my consciousness fades away.

"Nyra, are you okay?" Zion's voice sounds distant as I sink into unconsciousness. Everything dissolves around me, leaving me at the mercy of the approaching darkness.

I'm in a strange state, half awake, half in a vivid dream. I feel like my mind is in a different place, as if I'm really talking to my mother. Her words resonate in my mind, as clear as if she were right in front of me.

"Nyra, my dear," she says with a gentle voice, but full of urgency. "You need to feed, it's the only thing that can save you now. You're very weak, Nyra. Very weak..."

Her words echo in my mind, penetrating deeply into my consciousness. I feel engulfed by a sense of urgency, desperation as I try to process what my mother is saying. But something isn't right. Despite her words, I don't feel weak. On the contrary, I feel strangely alert, as if I'm awake in a dream.

"I don't feel weak, mother," I murmur, my voice sounding distant even to myself. "I'm okay, I think..."

A sense of discomfort begins to creep within me. If I'm weak and in need of sustenance, why don't I feel it? Is there something wrong with me?

"You need his blood... you need the blood that breaks the bond of decades trying to be broken, you drank human blood, my dear."

Her words reverberate in my mind, leaving me even more confused and disturbed. Human blood? What bond is she referring to? A shiver runs down my spine as I contemplate what she's implying.

"His blood... The blood that breaks the bond..." I repeat her words, trying to fully understand them. "But who is 'he'? And what bond is this?" My mind is a whirlwind, trying to piece together the fragments my mother is giving me.

As I try to process my mother's words, flashes of the day I drank Alaric's blood flood my mind. I remember the burning sensation in my throat, the metallic taste on my tongue, the intensity of the connection I felt with him in that moment. Could it be Alaric's blood that my mother is suggesting?

Before I can delve deeper into my thoughts, a memory of a conversation with my sister surfaces in my mind. She told me that no matter how much I try to stay away from him, I wouldn't be able to. The fear I feel makes me need to be with him, and she knew I had drunk Alaric's blood.

"His blood..." my mother whispers distantly, fading from the vision that left me too confused to process all of this.

As I try to decipher my mother's words, I feel my consciousness slowly returning. I open my eyes, still somewhat dazed, and realize I'm in Alaric's arms, who looks completely stunned and worried. His eyes meet mine, full of intensity and concern, and his voice sounds hoarse as he speaks.

"If Elijah did something to you, I'll..." He abruptly stops, his jaw clenched in anger.

But before he can finish the sentence, I feel the urgency to interrupt him. "No, Alaric, you don't need to... you don't need to do that," I say in a low voice, drawing his gaze even more. "I just... I just need you."

My words come out almost as a whisper, laden with a sincerity that I can barely fully understand. But the comforting presence of Alaric by my side makes me feel a bit safer, a bit more protected. Maybe my sister was right, after all. Maybe I really can't stay away from him.